Gelcoat or gel coat is a material used to provide a high-quality finish on the visible surface of a fibre-reinforced composite.
These require very high levels of durability to overcome the mechanical and thermal stresses encountered during the curing and demoulding processes.
Most fiberglass molds have non-conductive tooling gelcoats that accumulate static electricity, resulting in safety risks and difficulties in handling.
Advancements in conductive tooling gelcoates with single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) make molds safer and easier to use by reducing dust attraction, combating electric shocks to workers, and eliminating issues with de-molding.
[1] Suitable resin chemistries for the manufacture of gelcoats vary, but the most commonly encountered are unsaturated polyesters or epoxies.